Maple Road reconstruction lighting approved

Birmingham city commissioners approved a street light agreement between the city of Birmingham and DTE Energy Company for the removal, manufacture and installation of new street lights for the Maple Road reconstruction plan at their meeting on Monday, February 24. Austin Fletcher, assistant city engineer, explained in a memo that for the second phase of the Maple Road reconstruction project, scheduled to begin in March, a total of 48 existing street lights will be removed and in their place, 42 new street lights will be installed. The project area includes all of Maple Road between Chester and Pierce streets, and Maple between Old Woodward and Woodward avenues. “The reduced number of lights is a function of the new sidewalk design as proposed by our planning consultant (MKSK), wherein the tree wells are elongated. This design reduces the number of tree wells, and the number of streetlights accordingly,” Fletcher said. To a question from commissioner Mark Nickita, the street lights will look the same as the new ones installed on Old Woodward in 2018. The cost to the city for the installation of the new streetlights is $269,983, payable upon completion, with all work to be done by DTE. Commissioners voted to approve the proposal, 5-0, with commissioners Rackeline Hoff and Stuart Sherman not in attendance.